Mason County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Mason County runs its own construction-code program. Under the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List, the Mason County Building/Zoning Department (5300 W. US 10, Ludington; 231-757-9345) enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes in Scottville, the villages of Custer, Fountain and Free Soil, and 14 townships. The City of Ludington and Pere Marquette Charter Township run their own building departments, but the county still issues their electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. Wells and septic systems are permitted by District Health Department #10.

What requires a building permit in Mason County?

Outside Ludington and Pere Marquette Township, the county department applies the state construction code to every project, so the question of what needs a permit is answered there. In the two places with their own building departments, the local rules on minor work are published:

Ludington’s zoning permit for fences and small accessory buildings (form revised February 21, 2023) costs $50 for a fence and $50 for an accessory structure, plus $50 if work starts first. Fences must be residential in nature, no taller than 6 feet measured from the original ground, and free of barbed wire, electric current, broken glass or sharp edges, under section 12.03 of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance; an accessory building needs an existing principal building on the lot. The form asks for a copy of the owner’s state ID even when a contractor applies, and work may start only after the issued permit is signed and the invoice paid.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state code is the same everywhere in Michigan; what Mason County decides is who enforces it. The state list names the county as the enforcing agency for all four codes in 18 of the 20 local units and for the three trade codes in the other two. Zoning is separate: each city, village and township with a zoning ordinance issues its own zoning approvals, and Pere Marquette and Ludington both run zoning offices.

Mason County building department: who handles permitting

Check which unit the parcel is in, because a Ludington mailing address can mean the city, Pere Marquette Township or one of the county-served townships around them.

The county office’s address and phone above are the ones the City of Ludington publishes for trade permits. Pere Marquette Charter Township contracts with Thomas Fulker, whom the township names as its Building Official; inspections there are scheduled with him at 231-690-0847, and the department email is building@pmtwp.org.

Mason County permit types

Each enforcing office uses its own forms: the county for its 18 units and all trade permits, Ludington for city building permits (application revised August 21, 2023) and Pere Marquette Township for township building permits.

Residential permits

• Who may apply in Ludington: the homeowner, or a building contractor licensed by the state.
• Pere Marquette houses: priced by floor area, with set additions for basements and attached garages; outdoor furnaces need a township building permit and a county mechanical permit.
• Small sheds and fences in Ludington: a zoning compliance permit, not a building permit, for accessory buildings under 200 square feet.
• Septic: District Health Department #10 lets homeowners install their own septic system under its permit; anyone else must hold a DHD#10 license.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits come from the same office as residential ones. In Ludington, staff offer a free pre-development meeting before any development application: bring the location, the existing and intended use, rough sketches and nearby land uses, and staff will check zoning, identify the approvals needed (site plan review, special land use or variance) and point to incentive programs. Call (231) 845-6237 to arrange one.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: the local unit’s zoning approval; in Pere Marquette many building permits need a zoning review and possibly a zoning permit first.
• Well and septic: District Health Department #10, which evaluates the site, designs the septic system, locates the well and inspects the finished work; its forms include a building permit authorization application.
• Water and sewer in Ludington: industrial, commercial and residential projects submit a plan of water, sanitary and storm lines; call 231-845-6237.
• Curb cuts: Ludington driveways may need a curb-cut permit.

Mason County permit costs and fees

Fees depend on the enforcing office. The county department’s fee schedule covers its 18 units and every trade permit; ask the department at 231-757-9345 for the current figures. Ludington and Pere Marquette publish their own building permit schedules.

Worked example for Pere Marquette Charter Township, from its schedule adopted February 13, 2024: a 1,800-square-foot stick-built house on a slab is $100 plus 1,800 × $0.40, or $820, before any plan review; a finished basement would add $150. In Ludington, whose schedule is dated January 2024, at least $100 of every permit fee is non-refundable and a permit taken out after work has started costs $50 more. Trade permits in both places are county fees. Health department fees are the same across the district: DHD#10 lists $330 for a residential septic permit, $250 for a septic tank only, $180 for a private well and $400 for a commercial septic permit.

Remodeling is priced differently in each place. Ludington charges by how much of the building the work touches: $75 for 10 percent or less of the floor area, $75 plus $0.19 per square foot for more than 10 but under 50 percent, and $100 plus $0.19 per square foot for half or more; garages, basements and breezeways outside the work are not counted. Ludington also charges $100 an hour for code compliance, change of use and safety inspections, $50 for a certificate of occupancy on a permit closed in an earlier year, and half the original fee to transfer a permit. Pere Marquette prices above-ground pools and fences 7 feet or taller at $50 with no base fee, in-ground pools at $0.10 per square foot, foundation-only permits at $50 and moving a building at $0.15 per square foot, and charges $50 for each added inspection.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mason County issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits everywhere in the county, including Ludington and Pere Marquette Township, which do not issue them. That is why Ludington tells applicants to get trade permits at the county office on US 10, and why Pere Marquette’s fee schedule notes that an outdoor furnace needs a county mechanical permit on top of the township permit.

• One office for trades: an electrician, plumber or heating contractor working anywhere in the county files with the county department.
• Licenses: trade contractors need the state license for their trade; Ludington requires building permit applicants to be the homeowner or a state-licensed building contractor.
• Septic installers: licensed by District Health Department #10 unless the homeowner installs the system.

How to get a building permit in Mason County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Trade applications filed with Ludington or Pere Marquette are in the wrong office: those two issue building permits only. A missing zoning approval or health department permit also holds up a building permit, and Ludington charges $50 extra for a permit taken out after work has begun.

Inspections in Mason County

Each permit is inspected by the office that issued it. In Pere Marquette Township, call the contracted Building Official at 231-690-0847 to book building inspections; the township’s $100 base fee includes the inspections and the certificate of occupancy, and extra inspections are $50 each. Ludington’s Building Department, at 400 S. Harrison Street (231-843-2956), inspects city building permits and also enforces the city’s property maintenance code. County-issued trade and building permits are inspected by the county department.

Septic systems are inspected by District Health Department #10: the owner or contractor must call the local sanitarian 24 hours before covering the system, and if the sanitarian cannot come within that time, may be allowed to file a contractor affidavit and cover it.

Michigan building code in Mason County

No Michigan county is a National Flood Insurance Program community; each city, village and township joins on its own.

Michigan enforces one statewide construction code under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (1972 PA 230); local units cannot amend it, and enforcement sits with the city, village or township, a county program or the state Bureau of Construction Codes, sometimes split by trade. Michigan rules

Mason County permit search and official resources

Permit records stay with the office that issued them: the county Building/Zoning Department for county permits and every trade permit, the City of Ludington and Pere Marquette Charter Township for their building permits, and District Health Department #10 for well and septic records, which it keeps on file. Ask each office for copies under the Freedom of Information Act.

• City of Ludington permit applications (county trade-permit contact)
• City of Ludington Building Department
• City of Ludington permit fee schedule (January 2024)
• Pere Marquette Charter Township building department
• Pere Marquette building and zoning fee schedule (February 13, 2024)
• District Health Department #10 wells and septic
• District Health Department #10 environmental health fees

Mason County building permit FAQs

Does Mason County issue building permits?

Yes, in Scottville, the three villages and 14 townships, for all four codes. Ludington and Pere Marquette Charter Township issue their own building permits.

Where do I get an electrical permit in Ludington?

From the Mason County Building/Zoning Department, 5300 W. US 10; the city does not issue electrical, mechanical or plumbing permits.

How much is a permit for a new house in Pere Marquette Township?

$100 plus $0.40 per square foot under the February 13, 2024 schedule; an 1,800-square-foot house is $820 before basements or plan review.

Do I need a permit to reroof or reside a house in Ludington?

No building permit is needed in Ludington for roof shingles, siding, painting or driveways, though a driveway may need a curb-cut permit.

Who handles wells and septic systems?

District Health Department #10, which issues the permits and inspects the work; homeowners may install their own septic systems.

Can a homeowner pull a building permit in Ludington?

Yes. Ludington issues building permits to the homeowner or to a state-licensed building contractor.

Simplify Mason County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Michigan. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Mason County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.